Craps

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A busy craps table is often the most exciting spot in the casino, with players cheering and clapping with the roll of the dice. But if you're unfamiliar with the game, don't let the elaborate table layout deter you from joining in the fun. The rules are simple and there are plenty of ways to bet.

An even money bet. On the first or "comeout" roll, you win on a natural 7 or 11, but you lose on "craps," 2, 3 or 12. Any other number is your "point," and it must be thrown again before rolling a 7 to win your Pass Line bet. On the comeout roll, the odds favor the shooter. There are eight comibinations out of a possible twelve combinations that favor the Pass Line better. Four combinations go against the Pass Line better, the possibility of rolling craps, a 2,3, or 12. Thus the odds are 8:4 (16.66%) in the shooter's favor on the come out roll.

Opposite of Pass Line. On the come out roll, you lose on a 7 or 11 but win on a 2 or 3 (if 12 comes up it's a stand-off or a push). You win after the first rof a 7 appears before the point but lose if the point appears first.

Once a point is established, you may wager an additional amount on your pass and come bets. The 4 and 10 pay 2-to-1. The 5 and 9 pay 3-to-2. And the 6 and 8 pay 6-to-5.

On "Don't Pass" and "Don't Come" bets, you can wager an additional amount on your original bet.This bet is called a lay bet. If the the point is 10 or 4, and the point is not made (Seven Out), the house pays out 1:2 on the lay bet. If the point is 9 or 5, and the point is not made (Seven Out), the house pay out 2:3 on the lay bet. Likewise, if the point is 6 or 8, and the point is not made (Seven Out), the house pays out 5:6 on the lay bet.

Odds bets and lay bets can be removed at any time before the next roll.

Once a point has been established, you may make a "Place Bet" on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 and receive the following odds if the point appears before a 7 is rolled: 9-to-5 on 4's and 10's; 7-to-5 on 5's and 9's; and 7-to-6 on 6's and 8's. A Place Bet may be removed any time before the next roll.

On any single roll of the dice, you may place a "Proposition" bet. On any craps of 2, 3 or 12, a proposition bet pays 8-for-1. Any 7 pays 5-for-1, 2 or 12 pays 30-for-1, 11 and 3 pay 15-for-1. “Hardway bets” require the numbers to appear in pairs: 8 and 6 pay 10-for-1; and 4 and 10 pay 8-for-1. You lose if the numbers are made without pairs or if a 7 is thrown.

Please note that these payoffs are not true odds bet. The true odds payoff of rolling a 7 is 5:1. A proposition bet pays 4 to 1, but the casino lets you keep your original bet on the table -- thus the casinos say, "5-for-one." You can of course take this bet off the table after you have made the proposition bet, but once the dice have been rolled, the lost bet is taken off the table -- unless you made a hardway bet. The difference between true odds on a proposition bet and what the casinos pay on these bets is called a commision.